1911 suggestions?

[DadSmith]

Nothing wrong with a 1911 as a first gun. It was my first in 1976 courtesy of my Uncle. Carried it for many years.

Even a striker fired is ok for a first gun. It's what I've been carrying for a bunch of years now.

No matter what, go try them out before buying ANYTHING. You can waste a whole bunch of money by buying what others THINK you need. You need to find the one that fits your hand and you will be able to shoot.

Bottom line is, do not stake your life on a firearm until you get training. Going to the range and shooting a few times is not the same as getting training. You will end up with a false sense of competence which can get you killed or put in jail. Worse still would be the chance of injury or death to loved ones.

Agreed.
I don't believe training should be mandatory to buy or exercise your 2nd Amendment right, but it would be much better if a person does get some training as to when you can use a firearm in self-defense or defense of other innocent people. Training how to use the firearm you choose to carry is also beneficial. One must continue to practice to keep that edge and improve skills.

 

[Biggredchev]

For the $7-800 range id pick up a Springfield. 1911 is a fine choice for a first gun, proficiency is a bigger deal than the actual choice of gun. They require more maintenance than a plastic though.

 

[ECS686]

With or without your budget I’d recommend Apringfield Armiry (the Garrison is a pretty nice offering) or a little more the Colt Competition series’s. I have had Springfield’s and own a Colt competition now and solid great running 1911’s.

I have seen some hiccups with Rock Island and some other imports with folks in the range. Enough that I will continue to get SPRINGFIELDS OR colts (unless I really want a custom one by Les Baer or maybe Dan Wesson)

 

[r3126]

The conundrum of the 1911! I totally agree with all the recommendations regarding training referenced above! Training is the key to consistent application. That said, the learning curve for the 1911 is steep; there are so many things to learn, practice and apply in real circumstances. There a quite a few things that can go wrong when firing one; jams, failure to feed, chamber, fire, extract and eject. ls the malfunction mechanical or user caused (read "limp wristing as an example). For those reasons, perhaps a 1911 is not the best answer for someone new to using, storing and caring for a firearm. The 1911 is a somewhat complicated firearm for someone to "start from scratch" from. To have a difficulty in a crisis situation could be fatal. As a home defense firearm for a new, untrained owner, I always recommend a 4" to 6" barrel revolver - what is the expression? Oh yes, "6 for sure"! Then, when comfortable with the use of the revolver, most any of the major producers of 1911s would be a comfortable choice to learn and master. For those critical of my thoughts, I have carried and used any number of 1911s for over 60 years - 23 as a U.S. Marine and the balance using a 1911 as my EDC. As in all matters, your milage may vary.

 

[Dean C.]

The conundrum of the 1911! I totally agree with all the recommendations regarding training referenced above! Training is the key to consistent application. That said, the learning curve for the 1911 is steep; there are so many things to learn, practice and apply in real circumstances. There a quite a few things that can go wrong when firing one; jams, failure to feed, chamber, fire, extract and eject. ls the malfunction mechanical or user caused (read "limp wristing as an example). For those reasons, perhaps a 1911 is not the best answer for someone new to using, storing and caring for a firearm. The 1911 is a somewhat complicated firearm for someone to "start from scratch" from. To have a difficulty in a crisis situation could be fatal. As a home defense firearm for a new, untrained owner, I always recommend a 4" to 6" barrel revolver - what is the expression? Oh yes, "6 for sure"! Then, when comfortable with the use of the revolver, most any of the major producers of 1911s would be a comfortable choice to learn and master. For those critical of my thoughts, I have carried and used any number of 1911s for over 60 years - 23 as a U.S. Marine and the balance using a 1911 as my EDC. As in all matters, your milage may vary.

I have to ask why , just why? 5-6 maybe 7 rounds with a 8+ pound minimum double action trigger pull and no way to mount a light (with a couple exceptions, all expensive). Striker fired guns are issued in the numbers they are because they are cheap and cater to the lowest common denominator, no safeties to worry about, a decent trigger and 15+ rounds of capacity all with minimal recoil to the shooter. Need to reload , super easy just drop the mag and slam a new one in, no need for fumbling with ejecting a cylinder and then loading it. Plus lights on HD guns are basically mandatory IMHO , as civilians we are responsible for our bullets and I would like a positive target ID. No trying to shoot and hold a flash light at the same time is a terrible idea, I have seen it.

Back to 1911's , OP get whatever Springfield 1911 in that price range you like and you will be pretty happy with it. Plus they make great base guns to customize later as you shoot it more and get a feel for what you like or don't like in a 1911.

 

[ECS686]

I have to ask why , just why? 5-6 maybe 7 rounds with a 8+ pound minimum double action trigger pull and no way to mount a light (with a couple exceptions, all expensive). Striker fired guns are issued in the numbers they are because they are cheap and cater to the lowest common denominator, no safeties to worry about, a decent trigger and 15+ rounds of capacity all with minimal recoil to the shooter. Need to reload , super easy just drop the mag and slam a new one in, no need for fumbling with ejecting a cylinder and then loading it. Plus lights on HD guns are basically mandatory IMHO , as civilians we are responsible for our bullets and I would like a positive target ID. No trying to shoot and hold a flash light at the same time is a terrible idea, I have seen it.

Back to 1911's , OP get whatever Springfield 1911 in that price range you like and you will be pretty happy with it. Plus they make great base guns to customize later as you shoot it more and get a feel for what you like or don't like in a 1911.

I’ll just say as someone that was “Trained” on and issued a revolver there is not as much issued with a revolver as most think. Like anything to become proficient quality practice is needed. No different with a Glock or M&P. And while reloading is important the fact is the majority of civilian shootings is 3-4 rounds and LE shootings are 8 rounds (yes we can always find an exception but you can get struck by lightning too)

Darryl Bolkie has several good articles on how lawmen back in the day with higher crime rates put a lot of BGs down with Recolvers and the humble 38 special (and with LRN ammo gasp)

Ao to a lot of folks (I’m in that group) it’s never been about magazine capacity unless your kicking in doors in a combat zone.

As far as 1911 dependability just my experience is folks that I see that can’t keep a 1911 or revolver running by treating it like their lawn mower are the same ones that eventually have issues with a Striker fired.

 

[ECS686]

Or for us mere mortals!

Age Verification - NRA

www.shootingillustrated.com

 

[Doleman1030]

What's this about a "break-in" period I've been seeing more and more mention of? Do you have to shoot some number of rounds through a 1911 before it's certifiably reliable or something? Or is that only with certain brands of 1911?

 

[Dean C.]

What's this about a "break-in" period I've been seeing more and more mention of? Do you have to shoot some number of rounds through a 1911 before it's certifiably reliable or something? Or is that only with certain brands of 1911?

Hard truth, if it requires "break in" it's broken from the factory. All of my 1911's have ran problem free out of the gate.

 

[Born2vette]

What's this about a "break-in" period I've been seeing more and more mention of? Do you have to shoot some number of rounds through a 1911 before it's certifiably reliable or something? Or is that only with certain brands of 1911?

some of us will not trust a weapon with our lives until we have proven it is reliable from missfeeds, failure to extract, jams which for most is at least a few hundred rounds.

Also, some pistols have very tight tolerances from the factory and need to wear in just a little.

Age Verification - NRA

www.americanrifleman.org

I have also heard that a few manufacturers will not even look at a warranty claim until a pistol has at least 500 rounds fired (I cannot verify this),

 

[gregkl]

I'll be the usual "outlier" that I am. First: if you want a 1911, get one. Even if it's your first gun. They are easier to shoot than it is to set up your Netflix account.

Second, don't buy a .45 cuz "it's God's round" or it is what "John Moses Browning designed it for." Shoot the different calibers if you can and make the decision for yourself. There are a lot of competitive shooters using 1911's in .40 caliber. And not only is 9mm softer recoiling, but less expensive to shoot. 10mm is cool if you like to be an outlier.

Third: Springfield Armory has a good selection to choose from. Find one that fits your budget and go from there. I have never had to "break in" any of the 1911's I have owned. True, they were all Springfields, but they all ran perfectly out of the box.

I should have never purchased a high capacity polymer pistol. I would be a much better shooter if I would have stuck with that 1911.

 

[Leadeye]

A 1911 has a lot going for it, and has for a long time.

This one is still spitting after chasing Pancho Vila and going to France.

 

[DadSmith]

What's this about a "break-in" period I've been seeing more and more mention of? Do you have to shoot some number of rounds through a 1911 before it's certifiably reliable or something? Or is that only with certain brands of 1911?

My RIA 10mm had a few failures within the first 7 magazines ran through it, but after that it has been flawless.. when I say few I literally mean two times it had failure to feed, but that cleared right up, and it ran perfectly since. I've got over 1100rds iirc through it now. Planning on giving it more love this spring and summer.

My Ronin ran great right out of the box. Not one problem. The trigger was so good I was double tapping like bump fire I guess. I figured it out though.
1911's have really awesome triggers. Now the 1911 guru's on here probably wouldn't like my 1911 triggers, but coming from striker fired only guns, and the Beretta M9 the 1911 is just amazing, and so is the accuracy.

Oh and the glock guys don't want you starting with a 1911 because you'll never become a glock guy.

 

[88E30M50]

My first handgun was a full size 1911. It's a pretty good gun to start out on. The 1911 platform is incredibly safe for new shooters when compared to some striker fired guns that require pulling the trigger to disassemble them.

I'll parrot the recommendation for Springfield in that price range. I've owned many 1911s ranging from Rock Island to Ed Brown and Springfield is a solid choice among manufacturers. The Garrison looks really good from them.

 

[churchmouse]

12 years old my Army ranger uncle put his duty weapon in my hand. Yup it was a 1942 Colt that he carried his entire career. I have it now. 1st semi-auto I ever shot, and I was smitten. So don't Poo-Poo the 1911 as a 1st gun. JMHO of course.

 

[Flytj]

The 1911 was my first gun... love affair ensued... and now I have a bunch. I dont own any other kind. Definitely as others have mentioned - shoot it first. Some people have mentioned that their grip needed to change a little bit for the grip safety to fully depress, but there are options for that and its easy to get used to. Just make sure you get someone to show you everything there is to know about the gun and how it works.

 

[walkercolt]

I have a Colt Combat Commander .45 metal that I haven't had any issues with, was my first 1911.

My first experience with a semi pistol was a Berretta M9 years ago, really liked it.

From watching you tube videos you can limp wrist a Glock also, along with many other semi-auto pistols. My advice with any firearm that you own is to know it inside and out , know what ammo, mags it likes and keep it safe and secure.

As far as 1911 models, I know people that are happy with their Springfield's and other manufacturers

 

[Dante1983]

Colts are pretty hard to come by right now often priced way high when you do run onto them and you really want someone familiar with a 1911 to look them over before buying as Colt has been know to produce some real turds. We are all waiting to see what they are going to start turning out, now that CZ owns them. There are not very many Kimber fans on here. I have never seen a RRA in real life around here.

Is something wrong with the kimbers? I’ve never owned one, but I held one years ago and have always wanted a kimber 1911 just from that. Could never justify the expense tho.

 

[ECS686]

Is something wrong with the kimbers? I’ve never owned one, but I held one years ago and have always wanted a kimber 1911 just from that. Could never justify the expense tho.

Kimbers were pretty good when they first came out. But since then have suffered a ton of QC issues with guns not running right.

 

[tomcat13]

Nothing wrong with a 1911 as a first gun. It was my first in 1976 courtesy of my Uncle. Carried it for many years.

Was your Uncle named Sam, by chance?
That's the "Uncle" that supplied me my 1st 1911 (in 45 acp, of course) LOL
Love the 1911 platform, in both 45acp & 10mm.
Compared to today's offerings, it Is a bit on the Heavy side.
Good for nightstand, Not optimal for EDC.
IMO, just like picking out a car.
Test Drive & get what you Like!